Developer Techland's Dying Light was one of 2015's greatest surprises in games. Marrying the thrill of surviving a zombie outbreak with a newfound focus on parkour made it one of the year's best, and there's no doubt that fans are eagerly waiting for the sequel.
Dying Light 2's development history has been a rough one, with delays and silences continually fueling the community's rage. This has led to many new gamers jumping on the hype train, who might be confused whether they need to play the original before playing Dying Light 2.
Dying Light 2's Narrative Is Different
The original Dying Light takes place in Harran, where the protagonist is an undercover GRE agent by the name of Kyle Crane. Being dropped off in the middle of the outbreak to capture sensitive stolen information, Kyle must join the survivors and find a way to cure the infection, and restore the city of Harran to its former glory.
Dying Light 2 is set in a different place, a European city whose name hasn't been revealed yet. The protagonist Aiden Caldwell is tasked with finding a cure for the outbreak, and the journey is touted to be full of meaningful choices that might change the outcome of the story.
While the settings may be different, both games are set in the same universe. Dying Light 2 takes place 15 years after the Harran outbreak, but the developers have stated that there are no connections to the previous game. This means that players who missed out on the original need not necessarily go back and replay the game to get a sense of the narrative, which is ultimately great.
Need Is A Strong Word
Dying Light 2's world, characters, and overarching narrative might be different from the original, but there are a lot of reasons as to why fans must play the original should they have the time. Dying Light boasts an excellent movement system, and fans of games like Mirror's Edge and Assassin's Creed would instantly feel at home. The story might not be the best, but the associated characters make the journey worth seeing through to the end.
Additionally, Dying Light 2 might contain a lot of references to the original. Keeping in line with the developers' statements, such references might not dampen the experience with the narrative but experienced players might appreciate the added nuance to the narrative as well as the world-building.
Players curious to know how much time would they be spending in Dying Light might be pleased to hear that it is relatively short. Speeding through the main quest should take anywhere 16 to 18 hours, while those who would like to engage in side-content may end up spending upwards of 30 hours in post-apocalyptic Harran. Dying Light might not be as huge as most AAA open worlds, but it treads a fine balance between the quality and quantity of content that makes the journey enjoyable all the way through.
Dying Light 2Â is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
